Our interest was to create a project around the theme of water, reflecting the presence of the nearby Lake Leman. We decided to explore the possibility of a housing unit that offers a private bathroom to each inhabitant. We imagined a new way of living, in which the bathroom becomes more than a place to shower and go to the bathroom.
This place becomes everyone's bubble and that's why we wanted each of them to be as personalized as possible to adapt precisely to their needs. All our personal belongings are in there and it's up to each of us to define what our bathroom will look like.
The plan is guided by two main axes. The bathrooms are aligned against two shafts on each side of the building, creating an axis of installations. The windows between the sleeping areas creates a perpendicular axis of light, from both the EAST and WEST sides of the façade, which provides natural light in the sleeping areas and hallway.
Each bathroom has its own private balcony, allowing for a continuity of the space towards the outdoors. They are designed to respect the privacy of each person on their own balcony, in complementarity with the rooftop.
Whether it is a minimalist bathroom with the strict minimum or an original one where the room becomes a giant shower to spend time under the water alone or with friends.
It is easy to imagine that after a long day, one would not necessarily want to see the other inhabitants for a while and just want to relax in his bath, then go out naked on his balcony without being afraid of the looks of the neighbors.
Or imagine a group of girlfriends meeting in the bathroom before a party: one is doing her makeup in front of the mirror, another is resting on the couch, the third is sitting on the toilet, they are all chatting together while the last one is enjoying the last rays of the day's sun on the balcony.
As for the other living spaces, they are all public and shared with the other residents. On the ground floor there is a meeting and entrance area with access to the bunker terraces. On the bathroom floor, the sleeping spaces are located in niches in the hallway so that they are only useful to take a rest. On the 4th floor there is a common kitchen with space for dining and finally on the top floor, an entertainment area and a rooftop to enjoy the view all together.
We opted for a double-layered exterior load-bearing wall. The first layer is made of insulating bricks. The second part is the facing wall which is there for the aesthetic aspect of the bricks. The interior load-bearing walls are made entirely of the same insulating brick. The red brick is visible in the technical ducts of the bathrooms.
In conclusion, our project innovates a new way of living thanks to the spacious, private and customizable new space. In a world where bathrooms are either too big or too small, but always not thought perfectly for one, here we create a perfect shelter from the outside for the inhabitants of our housing.